Apollo relaunches with Synkro

R&S's ambient sub-label is ready to release its first EP in more than a decade.

R&S sub-label Apollo will relaunch (again) this April with an EP by Synkro called Broken Promise.

From the early '90s through 2002 Apollo was one of the most respected labels in ambient techno, having released genre classics like Biosphere's debut album Microgravity, Sun Electric's _Kitchen_ and Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92. When R&S bowed out temporarily in the early '00s, Apollo did too. It re-launched in 2009 with a compilation called Apollo: Past, Present, Future, but has been quiet ever since. The upcoming release will be the label's first EP in over a decade.

According to a press release, Apollo's latest incarnation is run by R&S founder Renaat Vandepapeliere from the label's original home city of Ghent, Belgium, while newcomers Andy Whitaker and Dan Foat manage R&S from an office in London. Much like its parent label, Apollo is returning with a new bass music twist. Synkro, a Mancunian artist who cites Autechre and Boards of Canada as key influences, has mostly delivered spacey two-step and drum & bass so far, with occasional hints of techno or deep house—a style he sticks to on the upcoming record. Broken Promise will be followed by releases from two other UK bass artists: Jack Dixon and Submerse.

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Manchester’s Joe McBride pens elaborate, emotive & intellectual soundscapes, drawing in influences across a spectrum of bass culture and electronica. Having released with Exit Records, Brownswood, Styrax, Auxiliary & Med School, as well as remixes for Model 500, Snow Patrol, Lowb & a plethora more, Synkro has most recently found a home at R&S sister label ‘Apollo’. Major support for Synkro’s music has come from names like Chris Coco, Giles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, Prefuse 73 and dBridge. A truly staple artist in the timeline of UK Bass.View the full artist profile